Convertible carrier, head rest and sun shade



E. MARTINEZ 3,298,477

CONVERTIBLE CARRIER, HEAD REST AND SUN SHADE Jan. 17, 1967 Filed Feb. 9, 1966 United States Iatent Gfiice 3,298,477 l atented- Jan. 17, 1967 3,298,477 CONVERTIBLE CARRIER, HEAD REST AND SUN SHADE Erasmo Martinez, Hawthorne, Calif. (5320 W. 10th St.. Los Angeles, Calif. 90045) Filed Feb. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 528,335 9 Claims. (Cl. 190-4) This invention has to do with a carrier and is more particularly concerned with a carrier for beach towels and the like and which is adapted to be converted for use as a head rest with a related sun shade.

It is an object of my invention to provide a structure of the character referred to which is easy and economical to manufacture and which is highly effective and dependable in operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a carrier of the character referred to which involves a pair of oppositely disposed or opposing box-like sections, which sections are adapted to be related to each other to define a chamber in which goods and items can be deposited for storage and/or transportation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide releasable hinge means to pivotally secure the box sections and link means permanently securing the sections together for semi-universal Shifting and positioning of one of said sections relative to the other.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a structure of the character referred to wherein one of said sections is a head supporting section and is adapted to be arranged horizontal n the ground or on a sandy beach and is provided with a flexible web or membrane type partition upon which a persons head can be easily, conveniently and comfortably supported.

It is an object of this invention to provide a structure of the character referred to wherein the other section is a sun shade section and is-shiftable to a position spaced above the first or head supporting section a sufiicient distance so as not to interfere with the engagement of one head on or with head supporting section.

It is an object of this invention to provide link means between the sections which allows or permits the sun shade section to be shifted vertically, longitudinally and to be pivoted or tilted relative to the head supporting section,.so as to effectively shade ones head, supported on the head supportingsection, from the rays of the sun.

Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a structure of the character referred to which is neat and compact and which is such that it can be advantageously made of metal, plastic, frame and fabric, reed, or any other desired or suitable material, and a structurewhich is such that it lends itself to being manufactured and mass-produced by those methods, processes and skills employed in the manufacture of beach bags, grips, purses and the like.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of my invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of my new construction, showing it arranged and disposed for use as a head rest and sun-shade;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of my new construction showing it arranged and disposed for use as a grip or carrier;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as indicated by line 33 on FIG. 2; I

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated by line 44 on FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of a portion of .my new hinge means.

The structure provided by this invention includes two box sections, there being a bottom section B and a top section T.

The construction further includes handle or gripping means G, head supporting means S related to the bottom section B, hinge means H releasably pivotal-1y connecting the sections together, link means L coupling the sections together for relative movement and positioning and latch means M to releasably hold the sections in a closed position.

The top section T is substantially square or rectangular in plane configuration and has a flat normally horizontal top wall 10, fiat, normally vertical front and rear walls 11 and 12, and flat normally vertically extending side walls 13. The front, rear and side walls 11, 12 and 13 are integrally joined with the top wall 10 and depend from the side edge portions thereof.

The front wall 11 is shown as including or defining the handle or gripping means G. The means G is shown as including an arcuate opening 14 in the front wall, intermediate its ends and a transversely extending hand-engaging bar 15 extending across said opening.

In the case illustrated, the section T is shown as being established of woven reed and as having a suitable frame structure about and between which reed is engaged and supported. The bar on handle 15 is established by a portion of the frame extending about the lower rim portion of the section T.

The rear wall 12 of the section T is provided with and supports or carries a hook member 16 of the hinge means H. The book member 16 is an elongate sheet metal part having an upper portion 17 fixed to the inside of the rear wall intermediate the ends thereof, by suitable fastener means, such as rivets 18. The member 16 has an inwardly offset lower portion 19, which portion depends from the upper portion and from the interior of the top section. The lower edge of the lower section 19 is provided with an outwardly and upwardly bent or turned longitudinally extending hook 120.

The lower or bottom section B, like the upper section T is shown as being formed of woven reed and as having a suitable frame structure.

The lower or bottom section B, like the top section T, is rectangular or square in plane configuration and includes a flat, normally horizontal bottom wall 21, a flat, normally vertical upwardly projecting rear wall 22 and flat, normally upwardly projecting side walls 23.

It will be apparent that the bottom section T has no front wall, but rather, opens forwardly, as well as upwardly.

The rear wall 22 of the section D is provided with and supports or carries a bar member 25 of the hinge means H. The bar member 25 is an elongate sheet metal part extending horizontally of the rear wall, adjacent the inner side or surface thereof. The member 25 has end portions 26 fixed to the wall 22 by suitable fasteners, such as rivets 27. The bar member 25 has a forwardly or inwardly offset, laterally extending central portion 28, between the end portions 26. The central portion 28 is provided with an elongate, horizontal slot 29, which slot defines a bar 30 about which the hook 20 of the hook member, on the top section T, is releasably engaged, when the free edges of the rear walls 12 and 22 are arranged in juxtaposition and as clearly illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

It will be apparent that the means H effectively pivotally connects the rear walls of the sections together, but is such that the hook 20 can be easily and conveniently disengaged from the bar 39, if and when it is desired to move the sections T and B apart or away from each other.

The head support means S is shown as including a flat, normally horizontal, flexible fabric sheet or membrane 31, slightly less in outside dimensions than the inside dimensions of the bottom section B. The sheet or membrane 31 is arranged within the section B in spaced parallel relationship above the bottom wall 21 and has its side and rear edges suitably anchored or secured to the side and rear walls of the section B.

In the case illustrated, the edges of the sheet 31 are secured to their adjacent related walls of the section B by suitable lacing 32 engaged through openings provided in the side edge portions of the sheet and in the adjacent walls of the section B.

In practice, the form of sheet or membrane and the means employed to secure or anchor it in position in the section B can vary widely without departing from the spirit of this invention.

It will be apparent that when the section B is set on a deck or on a sandy beach, the head support sheet or membrane 31 is freely accessible at the open front of the section B and so that a person can easily, conveniently and comfortably place his or her head on the sheet to be supported thereby, free and clear of the deck or sand.

The link means L that I provide includes like pairs of links at and between each pair of related side walls 13 and 23 of the sections T and B.

The links are established of strap metal. Each pair of links includes an elongate upper link 40 having an inner end pivotally connected to the adjacent side wall 13 of the top section T, intermediate the ends thereof, and an elongate lower link 41 having an inner end pivotally connected to the adjacent side wall 23 of the bottom section B, intermediate the ends thereof.

The inner ends of the links 40 and 41 are pivotally connected to the inside surfaces of their related side walls of the sections T and B by frictional pivot means 42. The frictional pivot means include inside and outside back-up washers 43 and 44 arranged adjacent the inside and outside surfaces of the side walls, bolts 45 engaged through the ends of the links and projecting outwardly through the washers and through the related side walls of the sections; spring or friction washers 46 between the links and the inner washers 43 and clamp nut members on the outer ends of the bolts to urge the assemblies tight and to control the frictional resistance afforded by the washers 46.

The other or outer ends of the links are pivotally connected together by means of a pivot bolt 50 engaged through the ends of the links, a friction washer 51 on the bolt and between the links and a wing nut 52 on the free (inner) end of the bolt and adjacent to urge and clamp the assembly together and to control the frictional resistance afforded by the washer 51.

With the link means L set forth above, it will be apparent that when the hinge means H is coupled or made up, the sections can be pivoted from a completely closed position, such as is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, to an intermediate open position, in the same manner as a conventional grip, purse or suitcase, and so that easy access may be had to the space defined by the sections. When the bottom section is arranged flat on a beach or the like and the hinge means H is disconnected, or uncoupled, it will be apparent that the top section can be elevated vertically above the bottom section to provide ample clearance for the arrangement of ones head between the sections and on the support means S. Further, the section T can be shifted forwardly or rearwardly relative to the bottom section and can be pivoted for angular placement above and relative to the bottom section so as to effectively intercept the rays of the sun directed towards the bottom section and to thereby effectively shade ones head when engaged and supported by the means S.

It will be further apparent that, if desired, the top section T can be arranged and disposed relative to the lower section so as to block or deflect wind.

It will be apparent that by virtue of the frictional connections between the related links and their related sections, the top section can be easily and conveniently manually shifted to any desired position and will remain in such a position until again manually moved.

The latch or hinge means M that I provide is adapted to releasably hold the sections together, in their closed position (FIG. 2 of the drawings), and in the case illustrated, the means M is shown as including latch hooks 60 pivotally carried by the clamp nut members 61 of the pivot means 42 related to the top section T and latch pins 62 on the clamp nut members 63 of the pivot means 42 related to the bottom sections B.

The means M, in the case illustrated, requires the provision of special clamp nut numbers for the means 42, but eliminates the necessity of providing separate latch means for the construction and which might tend to adversely affect the appearance of the construction.

The use of such a special latch means will depend largely upon the ease and economy of manufacture. If such a special means is too costly, separate, simple or standard latch means of the same basic design or type can be fixed to the side walls of the sections, independent of the pivot means 42.

When the construction is in its closed position, it can be rotated or turned with its front disposed upwardly and its rear disposed downwardly, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. When thus disposed, the space between the sheet 31 of the means S and the bottom wall defines an upwardly opening compartment X in which beach towels and the like can be placed for storage and transportation. The section B and sheet 31 of the means S related thereto overlie and close the section T and cooperate therewith' to define a compartment Y in which other items, such as beach shoes, reading material, purses, cosmetics and the like can be arranged for storage and/ or transportation.

The handle bar 15 of the means G is freely accessible at the uppermost part of the construction for easy access and engagement and so as to facilitate the user of the construction to carry the construction in a manner similar to a grip or bag.

The hinge means H, the pivot means 42 employed to connect the links to their related sections T and B and to each other, and the latch means M can vary widely in form and construction without departing from the spirit of this invention. The particular means shown in the drawings and described above are, therefore, merely illustrative of general types or sorts of means that can be employed in carrying out this invention.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have invented a novel, neat and compact convertible carrier, head rest, and sun shade construction, which construction is easy and economical to manufacture and which is highly effective, convenient and dependable in operation.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any modifications or variations that may appear to those skilled in the art and which fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A convertible carrier, head rest and sun shade of the character referred to including, a bottom section with a fiat normally horizontal bottom 'wall with front and rear ends, a vertical rear end wall and vertical side walls, a flexible head supporting sheet arranged within the confines of the bottom section, support means securing the sheet in spaced relationship above the bottom Wall, a top section arranged in spaced relationship above the bottom section and including a normally substantially flat top wall with front and rear ends and depending substantially vertical front, rear and side walls and like means between the sections yieldin-gly supporting the top section on the bottom section for yielding vertical, pivotal and fore and aft movement relative to the bottom section, and releasable hinge means at the rear walls of the sections to releasably pivotally connect the sections together when said sections are arranged in juxtaposition.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including, latch means at and between the adjacent side walls of the sections and spaced forward from the rear ends of the sections.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said link means includes a pair of links related to each side of the construction, each pair of links including elongated top and bottom links with inner and outer ends, friction coupling means pivotally connecting the inner ends of the top and bottom links to the side walls of the top and bottom sections and friction coupling means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the related links together.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said link means includes a pair of links related to each side of the construction, each pair of links including elongated top and bottom links with inner and outer ends, friction coupling means pivotally connecting the inner ends of the top and bottom links to the side walls of the top and bottom sections and friction coupling means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the related links together, the axes of the coupling means extending transverse the longitudinal axis of the construction.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said link means includes a pair of links related to each side of the construction, each pair of links including elongate top and bottom links with inner and outer ends, friction coupling means pivotally connecting the inner ends of the top and bottom links to the side walls of the top and bottom sections and friction coupling means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the related links together, the coupling means at the inner ends of the links occurring at the insides of the side Walls related thereto and intermediate the ends thereof.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including, latch means at and between the adjacent side walls of the sections and spaced forward from the rear ends of the sections, said link means including a pair of links related to each side of the construction, each pair of links including elongate top and bottom links with inner and outer ends, friction coupling means pivotally connecting the inner ends of the top and bottom links to the side walls of the top and bottom sections and friction coupling means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the related links together.

7. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including, latch means at and between the adjacent side walls of the sections and spaced forward from the rear ends of the sections, the axes of the coupling means extending transverse the longitudinal axis of the construction.

8. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including, latch means at and between the adjacent side walls of the sections and spaced forward from the rear ends of the sec tions, the axes of the coupling means extending transverse the longitudinal axis of the construction, the coupling means at the inner ends of the links occurring at the insides of the side walls related thereto and intermediate the ends thereof.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including, latch means at and between the adjacent side walls of the sections and spaced forward from the rear ends of the sections, the axes of the coupling means extending transverse the longitudinal axis of the construction, the coupling means at the inner ends of the links occurring at the insides of the side walls related thereto and intermediate the ends thereof, said hinge means including a member fixed to the inside of the rear wall of one section .and having a hook portion and a member fixed to the inside of the rear wall of the other section and having a bar portion adapted to be releasably engaged by the hook portion, the front wall of the top section being a handle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVERTIBLE CARRIER, HEAD REST AND SUN SHADE OF THE CHARACTER REFERRED TO INCLUDING, A BOTTOM SECTION WITH A FLAT NORMALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL WITH FRONT AND REAR ENDS, A VERTICAL REAR END WALL AND VERTICAL SIDE WALLS, A FLEXIBLE HEAD SUPPORTING SHEET ARRANGED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE BOTTOM SECTION, SUPPORT MEANS SECURING THE SHEET IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ABOVE THE BOTTOM WALL, A TOP SECTION ARRANGED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ABOVE THE BOTTOM SECTION AND INCLUDING A NORMALLY SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TOP WALL WITH FRONT AND REAR ENDS AND DEPENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL FRONT, REAR AND SIDE WALLS AND LIKE MEANS BETWEEN THE SECTIONS YIELDINGLY SUPPORTING THE TOP SECTION ON THE BOTTOM SECTION FOR YIELDING VERTICAL, PIVOTAL AND FORE AND AFT MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE BOTTOM SECTION, AND RELEASABLE HINGE MEANS AT THE REAR WALLS OF THE SECTION TO RELEASABLY PIVOTALLY CONNECTE THE SECTIONS TOGETHER WHEN SAID SECTIONS ARE ARRANGED IN JUXTAPOSITION. 